Unexpected
by doomofraven
Summary: Meet Ariana Tompson. She’s just you’re average Ravenclaw bookworm. Until she gets mixed up with Draco Malfoy. Wonder what could happen and why it’s always just so… unexpected.


Unexpected…

**Unexpected…**  
**By Doomofraven**  
**Rating:** T  
**Warnings:** romance  
**Pairing:** Draco and Ariana  
**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and related characters are © JK Rowling; Ariana, etc. © doomofraven  
**Summary:** Meet Ariana Tompson. She's just you're average Ravenclaw bookworm. Until she gets mixed up with Draco Malfoy. Wonder what could happen and why it's always just so… unexpected.  
**Beta:** None

Chapter 1: Question

Ariana Thompson skidded out of class. She was already late on the first day of her final year at Hogwarts. The brunette Ravenclaw ran towards the dungeons at full speed. All she needed was detention to completely ruin her day! She slid into her seat right as the bell rang and sighed with joyous relief. At least she would not be spending the first few hours of the evening brewing something for her Potions Master!

Severus Snape, the greasy-haired, hooked-nosed, Slytherin Head-of-House, billowed to the front of the room. He glared at the class full of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.

"Welcome to your final year of Potions," he said in an icy voice. "This year will be the most difficult of all you have experienced here at Hogwarts." He looked around at the group again. "It will even be worse than your fifth year. Yes, I'm sure you've heard this a million times already, but this year you will be taking your N.E.W.T.s. These are the most difficult of Hogwarts', or any other schools', final exams. If you wish to transfer to another school, speak now or forever hold your peace." Silence rung in the room. "I thought so. No takers..." He sneered. "Well, to get down to business... This year you will be learning a series of difficult, dangerous, and highly potent potions, drafts, serums, antidotes, etc..." He waved his wand and words appeared suddenly on the black board. "Copy these notes down."

The room rustled as the students took out parchment and quills.

Snape drawled on at length until the final bell rang, ending the day's horrendous lectures. Ariana took off in a mediated trot as she made her way through the crowds to the Great Hall for dinner. Her olive green eyes shimmered in the torch-light as she emerged into the Entrance Hall from the gloomy dungeons.

She sighed as she sat down at Ravenclaw's House table. Soon, the evening's meal appeared. Roast Beef, garlic potatoes, and tons of steamed vegetables filled the room with their delicious aroma. She filled her plate to the brim and began eating the food she had missed all summer. Raman noodles just can't cut it forever, she thought. She smiled at the thought. She never thought she would ever be surviving her summer holidays on plain noodles, but now she was. Oh well, was her next thought.

A boy came and sat in front of her. Someone who was not in her house either.

"Hey Ariana." he said.

"Mr. Malfoy," she said, not looking up.

"How was your summer?" he asked.

"Fine. Yours?" She did not really want to know, it was just polite to ask back. Her mother had constantly reminded her of things like that as a child.

"Pretty good," he told her. "Found any new boyfriends yet?"

She shook her head. "You know I've never had one in my life." she said shortly.

"Really?" he asked, almost laughing.

She looked up at him and stared into his eyes with icy fury. "Yes, really. Now, what do you really want?" Forget manners, this is Malfoy, she thought.

"I was only inquiring as to how your summer was!" Draco said, hotly. "Who do you think I am?"

"A stingy little snake that's what!" was what she wanted to say, but she did not. She had too much dignity to bring herself down to Malfoy's level. She shrugged her shoulders and looked away. She could tell there was a bit of hurt in his eyes when she had asked him that.

He did not talk for a few minutes and Ariana did not eat. "Well, would-" he paused. "Oh, never mind. I'll see you around." He got up and walked away.

She watched him leave. What did he want to ask me...?

Ariana left dinner an hour later and marched off to Ravenclaw Tower. She emerged from the stone wall entrance into the cozy blue room. Some of her house-mates lounged about in the chairs and sofas their head stuck in books, some even reading muggle novels. She passed by them all and headed through the door on the left that led to the girls' dorm stairs. She opened her room's door to find her room-mates gone. She smiled at the sight of the empty room. With four other girls to share a room with, she hardly ever got any privacy, and when it was available, she took full advantage of it. She rummaged through her trunk and found her diary. Opening her favorite pot of sapphire blue ink, she started thinking what she would write today. Hmm... she thought, what to write, what to write. Ah!

She started scribbling down her thoughts including what she had thought during dinner. Then she started to think about that. What did he want to ask me? The thought had been haunting her. Did he want to ask me out or something? She shook her head. Never...  
An hour later, she closed her diary just as her roomies returned. She smiled at them and told them she was going to bed. And she did just that; curled under her thick blankets she dreamed of large meadows and her favorite hotties at the school.

Just before dawn, Ariana started dreaming about someone she did not recognize. He was holding her in his arms, professing his love for her, and she sat there in shock at who it was, but her dream never revealed his face. It was all in third person. She woke up soon after and sat up. Who was that? she thought. Was it- no, that's impossible, it's him we're thinking about, and he is not the right guy for me. She sighed and climbed out of bed to find the stone floor freezing. She shivered and tiptoed over to her trunk so she would not wake up the others. Slipping on her robes she walked over the window. The sun was just beginning to peak out over the forest; its rays spiking high up into the pink sky. She smiled at the promise of warmth and then turned to her bed. She made it to save the house-elves some work and pulled her shoes out from under it and put them on. Her school bag lay nearby. Some books had spilled out in the night and she carefully picked them up and stuffed them back into it and then slung it over her shoulder. She stood and left the room, heading down the spiraling, stone staircase that led back to the common room.

In the common room, the sun was starting to make its way into the high windows, casting a dim light over the empty furniture. A few embers still glowed in the hearths from last night's fires. She walked down to breakfast slowly, savoring the silence of the castle. She reached the third floor and was walking down the main corridor when she heard someone calling her name. She turned to face it, totally unafraid.

"Looks like I wasn't the only one who wanted a dawn stroll." Draco Malfoy said from a few feet away. "What are you doing out so early?" His prefects badge gleamed in the early morning light which was filtering through the windows.

"Going to breakfast." she responded.

"This early?" he asked.

"Well, what are you doing out this early?" she asked him back.

"I've got my duties to the school to fulfill you know." he told her, pointing at his badge. "I'm supposed to write up any one I catch out of bed before five o'clock. You're lucky that it just happens to be 5:01."

She smiled. "I must be!" she said. "I suppose your duties are up for the night."

He nodded. "Wish I would've slept longer last night!" He yawned and stretched. "Oh well, it's a prefect's life for me!"

Is he, trying to impress me? she asked herself.

"But any way, you seem like you're in a better mood than last night!" he said, observantly. "Mind if I ask you something rather personal?"

"A little," she replied after a minute. "But, go ahead. Ask me what you will." Whether or not you'll get an answer is the real question, she thought.

He walked up to her and got in her face. "Why haven't you ever had a boyfriend?"  
She leaned back a little, ruffled by his sudden approach. "That's a silly waste of a question!" she replied.

"No, I'm serious. Why is it that a smart and admirable girl like you has never had a boyfriend?" he asked her.

Admirable and smart? Now he's dived into compliments, this isn't going to turn out well for me now is it? she asked herself, feeling slightly afraid. "Because I haven't ever found it necessary to have a personal relationship with anyone. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

He shook his head. "That doesn't answer it at all. Has no one ever asked you out or something?" he asked.

She shook her head calmly although she felt extreme annoyance with his prying but amused at the concept of him wanting to know.

He gawked at her. "Are you serious?! That's insane! You're seventeen and no one has ever asked you out?!"

"Must I repeat myself, Mr. Malfoy?" she asked, sounding as annoyed as possible, but she was actually finding it still more amusing.

"I still can't believe it!" he told her, crossing his arms.

Neither can I, she thought. Ha! For once, we agree on something Malfoy!

"You of all people too! Heh, I never thought I'd hear that one. Now I've heard everything." he said quietly.

"Mr. Malfoy, I beg your pardon, but why in the name of Merlin are you asking me these things? Is it really any of your business? And what use is the information to you?" she asked.

"Oh, no reason." he said, sounding nervous all of a sudden. "It really has no purpose, I was just curious that's all."

"Curiosity killed the cat," she said. Ha! Caught you off guard! she snickered to herself.

"Ah, but satisfaction brought him back!" Draco said with a grin.

She sighed. She hated that retort with all her heart. "Well..." she said slowly.

Draco looked at the floor for a second, clearly thinking.

What could this Slytherin seventh year be thinking about that earnestly? she wondered.  
He looked back up at her for a second, and then resumed his stare at the floor. "Ariana, there's something else that I've been wondering about..." He cut himself off by taking a big breath. "Would you ever consider going...?" He stopped again.

Spit it out! she thought.

"Would you ever consider going out with me?" he asked in a small, squeaky voice.  
Oh no, there it was, the thing she had been dreading. That question which had been haunting her for seven years, mingled with her constant hoping she would hear it directed at her. Now it was being spoken to her and she was scared beyond belief. What should she answer? How would it effect her reputation as the quiet loner girl? Well, she would not be a loner any more if she said yes. Just a quiet book-lover. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, raising her blood pressure up and making it thump through her brain. She realized he was watching her now, waiting for her answer.

"I..." she stammered out. "I... I..." Did she really want to say no? Her heart was starting to shift towards 'say yes! say yes!', but her brain stayed firmly on 'no! never!' What was she going to do? She had two choices, stay here and answer him some how or run for her life. She was not known to run away from problems and puzzles, but in this instance, that was all she really wanted to do. She took a deep breath. "Malfoy, I have to go!" And with that, she turned and ran away.

A/N: Okay, how the title works, you stick the chapter title on after 'Unexpected.' HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS!!


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